They announced their courtship 6 weeks ago but that doesn’t say they have only been courting that long. They may well have been courting for several months, who knows.... And same thing with the engagement. I highly doubt they announced it right after they got engaged, perhaps it was around the time that they announced their courtship! And there’s nothing in either announcement that would be contradictory. They can announce things in their own time, even if they got engaged on the day they announced their courtship, it’s all good! 👍

Oh my that was quick!!! I truly hope they are both ready...wasn’t their courtship just announced in January? Nothing against their relationship. But I know if my husband asked my father that quick, my father would have said no, you need to wait a while.

These two families have known each other for years. The young couple are hardly strangers. The timing of the announcement seems in keeping with Duggar tradition though. The new season needs a kick off.

Hardly strangers I agree with but we are talking about spending their lives together. Have they had enough time to get to know each other, likes and dislikes, etc on a romantic level? It just seems super rushed to me. Especially when Lauren stated she was shocked by the courtship.

Speaking from experience here, if the guy I was interested in had a previously broken courtship not that long ago, we'd be taking it slowly. Better to go slowly and make sure before you make that covenant , than have to live with a lifelong mistake.

Uh, Josiah's last courtship was over 3 years ago, not 3 months ago. I can't think of anyone Josiah's age who still carried a torch for a former flame 3 years after the fact.

I do realize though that anyone with a failed courtship does lose value in the "market" as the ideal for most who court is to only do it once. And anyone who goes through more than two courtship tends to be looked at with suspicion.

So while Josiah does seem quite sincerely "into" Lauren, I'm sure he's also feeling some pressure to make this courtship work out, otherwise be stuck being a bachelor for most of his life and watch his younger brothers go on to marriage and children before him.

Anonymous #3- You are kidding about People and journalism ethics, right? You might want to familiarize yourself with the Society of Professionalism Journalists Code of Ethics here http://www.spj.org/pdf/spj-code-of-ethics.pdf

I absolutely love josiah, he & jinger have always been my favourite 2 Duggar kids & I could not be happier for him. Lauren seems a lovely girl & they clearly seem genuinely in love. I don't hold much by the length of their courtship as they have obviously known eachother for years & probably the courtship was just a formality so let's hope no one goes on about the 'quick' engagement. Good luck to these 2 lovely young people, hope they have many years of happiness together. I'm looking forward to pictures of their wedding, Lauren will make a very lovely bride.

This is just getting a bit creepy. These marriages, particularly Joy Anna and now Josiah and Lauren feel very contrived for ratings. There just isn’t time for these couples to get to know each other well enough for marriage in a 6 -8 week courtship with family all around at all times. Anyone can put their best self forward,say all the right things, do all the right things etc. in those very restricted environments for very short times. It’s to fast..allow breathing room for a quality relationship to organically mature. It doesn’t need to be years, but one year is certainly reasonable.

Neither couple met each other and then only courted six to eight weeks. They have known each other for years. Remember Joy said she had been interested in Austin for a long time before he asked to court her? They are taught to observe the person they are interested in for quite a while before getting to the courtship stage. They know their character and interests before they ask to court, so things are not as quick as you think.

I agree. Also, it’s hard to have a disagreement/fight if you are always surrounded by peope and if you have a really short courtship. in my opinion, a couple should go through at least one fight before getting married. Lots of couples figure out they’re not meant for each other after those situations and break up, but the Duggars wouldn’t have that opportunity until marriage. Also, they only get engaged after a few months, and in those first months life is always blissful and nice and you’re so “in love”, but it’s not a true reflection of what life’s actually gonna be like years from then.

These families have known each other a long time. I'm sure if his sisters noticed anything negative about Lauren they would speak up. This family has done better than many of us in raising respectable productive children. I don't think any of us has any right to critize this family and the choices they make for their lives.

I agree, but we don't really know what goes on off camera. Those courting might get a lot more time together than we know about. Still, I agree with you about their being so young. You can be a very different person at 25 than you were at 18.

Considering how the Duggars essentially believe marriage is for life, I seriously doubt any Duggar would get married just for the sake of TV ratings.

However I am sure the timing of these announcements are made quite deliberately to enhance publicity for the show. I agree with other posters who note that while the J-L courtship was announced in January 2018 that doesn't mean it actually started at that time. I doubt the Duggars would have brought Lauren along on an international journey if she was just a totally platonic family friend.

Also while the most recent Duggar courtships have moved quickly, they have all involved people who they've known as friends for years beforehand. Of course that's not quite the same as knowing them in a romantic context.

But it's certainly not the same as courting a total stranger for 6 weeks and then deciding to marry them. If that was the case, then I'd well, not quite find it creepy, but I would actually consider that kind of marriage to be closer to an arranged marriage where the couple is expected to fall in love AFTER the wedding. And there are certainly cultures where that is common. And many of those marriages work out well. Some would even argue they work BETTER because they are less likely to end in divorce. Though I wouldn't go that far as most such culture frown on divorce anyway, even when the marriage is miserable.

If you're 18 or 19 I would advise a relatively long relationship, like at the very least 3/4 years, before getting engaged. You need to grow up and develop as a person, and also as a couple, before undertaking such a commitment.

12:42, you must be new, regarding Joyanna they've posted multiple times on this blog that Joyanna has known Austin for 15 years, their families are all close. Also regarding Lauren, it says in this blog post above that she's known the Duggar's for "years".

Yes but when you vote, you can automatically get "a divorce" from that person in 2-4-8 years, if you change your mind or realize you voted wrong. There's always the next election for you. There's not always the next wedding for you.

2:52- You're not marrying the person you vote for. If the politician who gets elected turns out to be a bum, at least he/she can be given the boot the next time around. With covenant marriage, as the Duggars embrace, you're in it for the long-haul- no escape!

I personally think young people get to know each other so much faster now. They can talk and text or email. You don’t have one family sharing a phone line, so they can spend hours talking. My daughter recently started dating. She and her boyfriend have seen each other every day for over two months. I think they probably know each other better than my husband and I did after nine months of dating. Before they even started their relationship, my daughter asked him all about his beliefs and morals. I am sure the Duggars have done the same things during the getting to know you period before courtship.

This is 2:52. No, but whoever you elect can seriously alter the country you live in. Just because most people today are not mature enough to get married, does not mean all people should be banned from getting married until they're 21.

The younger a person is, the more easy they are to control and influence. We should be asking ourselves - what is the motivation to push teenagers into a lifelong commitment and one that will likely result in being saddled with a child within a year's time? If a person were concerned about women being self-sufficient, educated, and free, teen marriage would no doubt be a good way to prevent this.

Time 2:38PM I read every article in every entertainment magazine about the engagement which is happy news I want to say congrats to the future Mr & Mrs Duggar can't wait for you guys wedding. Your fan Neddy Constant

All the best to them. These Duggar brides seem to keep getting younger and younger. Isn't this the youngest? I read that the proposal took place where her parents got engaged. So sweet of Josiah to think of that. He had her heart in mind.

Fairly sure that Josiah's first love interest (Marjorie) was even younger, she was 16; and Josiah was still a teenager himself. But I doubt that the plan was for them to get married in their teens, even if that courtship had worked out.

As for Lauren, IMHO she actually could pass for 20 or even older. Though of course looking older is not the same as actually being more mature than one's age.

Anon @ 11:28 Marjorie was 17 and Josiah was 18 when they courted. Marjorie has since written a book, got a part time job and is at college, all things she would not have been able to do if she had married into the Duggar family.

TLC would have nothing else to show if it were for not these relationships.! They are getting lower and lower on children that are of age to marry! Since, none of the children are in college or have careers to report on; weddings/babies bring in viewership for the show!

They ANNOUNCED their courtship in January, but it's likely they were in a courtship longer than that, especially since Josiah was in a courtship before. He probably waited until he was pretty sure he was going to propose this time. Also, they and their families have been friends for YEARS! This is NOT rushed. And even though she's young, many 18 year olds who walk with the Lord are ready for a marriage commitment.

It is still different. Being romantically involved opens up a new horizon of topics and everyone has dreams and wishes and often your are not 100% aware what kind of marriage and partner you are looking for. A courtship could be a time to figure it out together. A time for deep questions and I don’t think 8 weeks are enough for this. There is a reason why people have had one year engagement periods in the past. And when you cannot hold up your standards in this time you are definitely not ready to be a good partner anyway.Now, they might have been courting for much longer but as long as they don’t say so I will not just assume it.

I totally agree with anon 3.22 I think this couple have been courting for a lot longer than what we are led to believe & they have known each other years. My only concern with any of these marriages is the fact they have chaperones with them all the time till they are married & have no physical contact at all apart from hand holding & side hugs. This is one thing I do not understand at all, why can't these young people be allowed to be alone to get to know eachother properly like most other young couples do ! Even couples who decide to save themselves physically for marriage on religious grounds still kiss & hug, it's a way of showing affection, & I feel strongly that to not have even that contact before marriage, then to go straight into motherhood within a year for a lot of these young women is a huge ordeal. There is absolutely nothing wrong with kissing & showing affection before marriage, I do understand they would not wish to do anything more physical & that is fare enough but no front hugging or kissing & having to have chaperones with them all the time I feel is taking it to ridiculous lengths & almost like these young people cannot be trusted. I can't imagine whenever John or jana eventually enter into a relationship them having siblings much younger acting as chaperones, it's just ridiculous.

Fuzzyferet I agree. I could not imagine entering my wedding night never even having spent a phone call alone. Never having hugged or touched before. I believe that would be extremely awkward and creepy.

You know, I've noticed that for some reason a lot of people don't count 19 year olds as "real teenagers", I guess because once someone turns 18 they are legal adults for most purposes, even if the word "nineteen" ends in "teen".

My husband and I were engaged about a month after we started dating and were married four months after that. I was 31 and he was 39 when we got married. We saw no reason to wait. However, age is much less important than finding a suitable and compatible partner who shares your faith and goals. Congratulations to the happy couple.

Suz, the questionnaires are for the potential in-laws, not their own children. I do wonder if the other dads make the Duggars fill out one though. Plus its easy to answer the questions how you think they should be answered. Spending time together, alone, away from cameras is the best way to get to know someone. I hope they are madly in love but I just don't get that vibe from Josiah. I think he's doing what his parents want him to do.

Well, while I should add a BIG disclaimer that I certainly can't read their minds or hearts, I actually read J+L a little differently from Angie. I get the feeling Josiah really is into Lauren, but that Lauren is still in the "in love with love" stage, that she is excited with the whole idea of being courted and engaged and married, more than with the actual man she's marrying.

But even if that's the case, that doesn't mean they're doomed to a mediocre marriage or worse. I also got the sense during their courtships, that Ben was more into Jessa, and that Joy as more into Austin, than the other way around.

But now that they're married, they seem to be as happy now as the couples who were more evenly matched in terms of mutual interest.

You can do all those things while married. I know a young woman who got married when she and her husband were both 19, and now 10 years later they travel all around the world with their kids, a couple of whom are adopted, and they're very happy.

As a mom to a 16 yr old who's been following the Lord for quite some time, I have to agree with Anonymous at 11:45. I want my daughter to fully develop her God-given gifts and talents. I also want her to learn to be confident standing on her own two feet, before she adds a husband and children to the mix. Just in case her spouse would die prematurely, leaving her widowed or single-parenting, I want her to be equipped with real life experience- not an engineered environment with people constantly stepping in to rescue her (like Jill in Central America with all the family visits or flying back to the States). That's not emotional maturity, nor is that someone who was ready to "leave and cleave". I want my daughter to be emotionally, spiritually, and mentally well-equipped to be a young man's life partner and I pray he will be the same for my daughter.

Anonymous 2:55 PM: No, you can't do those things while married, because we know very well that these girls are going to get pregnant as soon as possible, and probably going to be mothers before 20 (or barely 20). I do love kids so much and I think it's a gift to be able to build a family, but it's also wise to do it when you have more life experience, after you've lived life as a single adult for a while. You have to be able to stand on your own feet, to know who you are and what your interests are. I am more than sure that Kendra and Lauren are great girls, but they're still unbelievably young. There's something so childish about them, not in a derogatory way, but you can see that they're still young girls, not grown women. It worries me a bit: they go from being children in their parents' house form being wives and mothers in such a short time!

4:08- I think that "exploring the world" means getting out on your own and having experiences that are yours alone. It means getting an education or training for a job and financial independence. It doesn't necessarly mean traveling the earth.

I am happy for any of the Duggars who find love and happiness. Many of them are marrying people that they have know a fair number of years.

I knew my husband for five years before we started dating; I had my eyes on him for awhile. We were engaged after three months of dating and were married on the anniversary of him asking me to date him. We have been married 34 (almost 35 years) now.

My sister was in a relationship for 8 years and then he dumped her. Shortly she met a wonderful man, they dated three months and were engaged to be married; was married four months later. They have been married for 26 years now.

When God Almighty brings two people together, and they know it is the right one, and they are committed to the relationship, who cares what other people think.

I think people who make negative or judgmental remarks need to mind or manage their own lives and let the Duggar family do the same.

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Welcome to the premiere source for factual, encouraging updates on Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar and their 19 kids (TLC's 19 Kids and Counting & Counting On). Our site is not maintained by the Duggars, but we (Lily and Ellie) are personal friends of the family.